


Mind Games

by MyOwnParabatai



Category: Shazam! (2019)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Pre-Slash, Psychological Torture, Shazamily (DCU), Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23664019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyOwnParabatai/pseuds/MyOwnParabatai
Summary: Almost a year after the carnival, Freddy notices that he hasn't saved the day since. He finally convinces Billy to let him in on a save, only to get pushed out of the way. Billy thinks he's protecting Freddy, but perhaps he's hurting him instead? He gets his answer and he's put to the test when an old enemy and a new nemesis team up to use his best friend against him.Will he survive the mind games they have planned? Or will he put Freddy in harm's way?“That’s the last time I felt like a hero, Billy.” He finished, hurt brimming his eyes. “I haven’t felt like anything more than a burden since.”
Relationships: Billy Batson/Freddy Freeman
Comments: 35
Kudos: 45





	1. Do you see me right now, Billy?

Freddy glared at his homework. His homework stared back at him, silent, judging, taunting him for not being done. But how could he finish it? He couldn’t focus beyond the deep-seated frustration swirling in his chest.

Billy went on patrol without him. Again!

Of course, being thrown in AP classes didn’t help the demand of Freddy’s time. What? Just because you’re smart enough for this stuff it means you have no life?! No other responsibilities? Freddy thought about the other kids in his classes. They weren’t superheroes, so he guessed they didn’t have much else to do outside of schoolwork. It was still no excuse, though. He had an early study hall! He could make up the work!

“Freddy,” Billy sighed, staring at him with his giant puppy dog eyes, “Rosa and Victor will freak if you bring home another bad grade.”

It was just one ‘F’ on a math test! It’s not like it was the end of the world, like at the carnival last year! 

“Pedro and I will take tonight’s patrol. Just cover for us and you can take the next one.” The pleading voice behind Billy’s words made Freddy’s insides sour. He had his whole life to be a hero. Why was he being so anal about missing one night?

It wasn’t until Billy left that Freddy realized that he’s been missing a lot more than just one night, because Billy has been telling him to wait until next time for a little over three months now. 

The sun had gone down hours ago. Freddy remained in his desk chair, staring at his homework, only moving to flip on the lamp beside him. Billy and Pedro had told Rosa they were going to grab a burger so not to worry about them for dinner. 

“Why isn’t Freddy going?” She had asked them. 

“He wanted to stay here to finish his homework. We were going to bring him something back.” 

That’s funny. Freddy didn’t recall wanting to stay. 

He was still glaring at the blank worksheet when Billy came through the door, grinning stupidly.

“Hey, man!” He almost bounced over to Freddy, dropping a greasy paper bag in front of him. The smell of fries and a burger was usually his favorite. Now, it just made him sick to his stomach. “You should have seen Pedro, dude!” Freddy could hear him pacing through the room excitedly. His hands shook with the urge to punch his best friend in his stupid smiling face. “There were these bank robbers, right? It was like six of them, all with machine guns, and they had like twelve hostages all in the back. We tried to negotiate, but then they started shooting. Before I could even move, Pedro just took off, grabbing them and throwing them left and right. I’m saying out cold before they even hit the ground. There was some kind of bomb on the safe door, so I tore it off and sped out of there, and you won’t believe what happened! It went off in my arms. I held a bomb while it exploded, and I contained the blast! It felt like getting punched in the gut, but man, that was awesome!”

Freddy nodded, but didn’t reply or look up. The silence grew between them before he heard Billy sigh.

“Freeman, come on!” He whined, walking up to him. He grabbed Freddy’s shoulder, spinning the chair around to face him. “You should be excited, man! All this training you’re making us do is working!”

“All the training you’re doing.” Freddy corrected, frowning. “Because, I mean, you won’t let me train. You keep telling me to supervise, see what you’re doing.” Billy pulled away, brows furrowed in confusion. The look of absolute bewilderment on Billy’s face enraged Freddy. “You keep telling me to sit this one out or wait for the next round. You know what I realized, Batson? I’ve been a superhero for a little over a year and I’ve done almost nothing with it. Who’s responsible for all the big saves, Billy? Because it isn’t the blue one! The blue one, as everyone has so kindly pointed out on Twitter and YouTube, doesn’t do anything. He just flies around like an idiot letting everyone else do all the work!”

Billy opened his mouth to reply, but Freddy cut him off. “I wonder how everyone would react if they knew that the blue one doesn’t want to fly around like an idiot? How would they react if they knew that big, bad Red before going into a fight turns his big sad puppy eyes on Blue and says ‘please, pretty please, can you stay out of it’ meanwhile the purple one, who no one knows is actually eight freaking years old, is smack-dab in the middle of the fight?! How would they react if the one flying uselessly in circles is twice her age, all because Red doesn’t want Blue to join in?!” 

Billy shifted uncomfortably, the silence pressing in on them, before he finally spoke. “I-I just…”

“Well? Eugene gets to go on patrol. He gets to train. Why can’t I?” To emphasize his suspicions, he stood, slipping his arm into his crutch. Billy followed the movement, face reddening before he shook his head.

“I don’t know. I didn’t realize we were doing that.” The answer, once it was said, was suddenly not enough for Freddy. He snatched the paper bag off the desk, stomach growling in protest as he dropped it in their trash bin. Billy seemed to flinch at the action before looking up at Freddy. 

“Not them.” Freddy corrected again. “Because Darla wanted to spar with me last week. Remember that?” Billy seemed to think for a minute before visibly shrinking in on himself. Freddy nodded. “Yeah. What was it you said? I don’t think Freddy needs to do that, Darla. What if he gets hurt?” His voice threatened to crack, so for the sake of his own pride, he pressed his lips into a thin line, shutting himself up. The hurt he felt when Billy had said that hadn’t faded. As if he was something extremely fragile while all the others were made of steel. “Not them, Billy. You.”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Billy snapped. 

Freddy shrugged, “Trust me, for starters. You seem to do that just fine with everyone else.”

“I do trust you, Freddy.” There was something sad, tired, in Billy’s voice that Freddy couldn’t identify so he just shook it off. 

“Then let’s make a deal. The next breaking news story, whatever it is, I go with you. In return, I’ll let you mother hen me to death afterwards.” Billy stared at him, thinking for a moment, before he nodded. Freddy smirked, the nasty feeling in his chest lessening a little bit. Billy smiled back, but it was small in comparison to the large grin he had earlier. 

“But seriously, dude,” Freddy added, pointing at Billy. “I didn’t get juiced up with these powers to be your cheerleader, okay? If I can’t be a hero with you guys, I’ll do it on my own. I already have a badass name. I’m thinking about calling myself ‘Blue Ray’.”

“Like the DVD player?” Billy asked, smile growing bigger. 

Freddy huffed in annoyance, but then the tension between them dissipated, bringing them back to their easy banter. “I was thinking like hope, like a ray of light, but I see your point. Maybe ‘The Co-Bolt’? Like the color cobalt and a bolt of lightning?” 

Billy laughed, eyes crinkling with mirth. Freddy suddenly felt another swirling feeling, this time in his gut. 

He suddenly couldn’t stop himself. “Okay, how about ‘Thunder Man’?”

“No.” Billy replied, walking to the closet to change. 

“’The Flying Blue’?”

“Nah.” Billy laughed, climbing to his bunk.

“’Boltstrike’?”

“Bolt-what?!” 

Freddy sighed, shaking his head. “You know what? Never mind. I’ll think of something.” He carefully limped over to his bunk, dropping on it without changing. It was Friday. His stupid homework can wait. “I mean it, Batson. Next breaking news story and I’m there with you. No kids’ table.” 

The bunk above him squeaked before Billy’s head hung over the side. “Deal.” He replied. His face fell for a brief moment before whispering, “I’m sorry. I guess I—”

“Was just babying the cripple.” Freddy interjected with a bitter laugh. “I’m just kidding. I get it, Billy. If I was in charge, it’d be a one-man show. Protecting family is what we all want to do, even if it makes some of us assholes.”

“I don’t see any assholes here.” Billy remarked, smirking.

“I do.” Freddy retorted before reaching up to swat at his head. He missed by a mile but Billy flung himself back on his bunk, laughing. “Night, asshole.”

“G’night, Freddy.” 

They settled in, the only sounds in the room being the groan and creaking of the beds. The silence after then hung around Freddy for what felt like forever before he finally heard the gentle snores of his roommate. He snorted. And he says I snore!

Freddy rolled his eyes when he realized the lamp was still on. He wouldn’t be able to knock out like the bigshot above him with the light still on. Groaning, he sat up, about to reach for his crutch before he froze. 

It’s been ages since he tried walking without it. Maybe as he was getting older, he was getting stronger. He could try walking without it, and maybe practice living without it. Without his crutch, maybe people would forget he was disabled. Billy would forget to safeguard him every minute of every day. Forget that he was breakable. 

Maybe if Billy forgot about his disability, he could finally be a superhero with his family, instead of a superpowered knickknack. 

Steeling his nerves, he pushed himself up to his feet, leaning his weight to one side as usual. It was only a few steps to his desk. Probably seven? Eight, to and from? How difficult could it be?

He slowly inched his left leg out, holding all of his weight on his good side. He took a deep breath before pushing forward.

He fell. For a barest hint of a second, he had it. It held him up, then with a wobble, his leg gave out from under him. He landed with a thud, not a loud one thankfully, so he wouldn’t have to worry about Rosa and Victor finding him on the floor. 

He lifted up enough to look at the lamp on the desk. Now it wasn’t so much a nuisance as it was a challenge. What if one day he was needed in his human form without his crutch? Comic books were full of situations that tested a hero’s everyday self, and that’s how he had to see this. It was a test. 

Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up to his feet again. His left leg throbbed in protest, but he ignored it. If this was life or death, it wouldn’t matter. Before he tried to take a step, however, he had the briefest moment of dread. 

No, he thought. Six out of ten said belief is the key. 

He shifted his weight forward, bracing his leg despite the fierce burning running up his body. He exhaled heavily when he managed to stay up, though the enormous throbbing in his thigh spoke of regret tomorrow. Without thinking, he threw out his arm to grab something, anything to keep him up, but then he forced his hand down with a grimace.

Belief is key.

Bracing his leg, he lifted his right foot, moving it ahead of him.

And he fell. 

This time the thud was louder, making Freddy hold his breath in dread. After a few moments of silence, he expected to feel relief that no one was coming, but instead a morbid sense of loneliness filled him. Moments like this he felt truly alone. No one else understood, or they didn’t care. It was a wound they couldn’t see, so to them it didn’t exist. 

In his mind’s eye, he saw flashes of his family. Mary’s suppressed expression of pity after the Breyers’ kick his ass. Rosa and Victor’s endless patience and optimism, grating on him when he feels nothing but guilt. Darla’s voice halting when she’s seconds away from telling Freddy to hurry up. 

And now? Billy’s pity and protection. As if he couldn’t handle himself out there. As if he was truly an invalid. 

Before he could stop them, bitter tears burned their way down his cheeks. He didn’t make it to the desk. He barely made it a foot away from his bunk. He could still reach behind him and touch it. He made no progress. His crutch was propped up beside him, glaring down at him with smug satisfaction. 

His knuckles were white as he gripped the offensive object, pulling himself up to his feet to switch the damn lamp off. He turned it off with a bit of force, almost pulling it off the desk, before stomping to his bunk. Before throwing himself in bed, he threw the crutch across the room, satisfied when it tumbled to the floor with some hard clacks. 

Billy’s snoring stuttered. Freddy could hear him mumbling in his sleep, but then the silence returned, suffocating him. 

He always hated sinking to this darkness in his head. The cruel words of so many people ran through his mind. Then his own words echoed through him. Words he thought would drive his point through Billy’s thick skull, but instead drove a stake through his own heart by how truthful it was. 

No shit! Ya think?! I would kill to have what you have! Because everything I do is like some desperate attempt to get people to notice me, to not feel sorry for me. Look at me. Look at me! Do you even see me? Because most people don’t. Because they don’t want to.

“And now you don’t either.” He accused the bed above him. His mind spun him further and further down into that dark rabbit hole, bringing more angry, and eventually, sorrowful tears to his eyes before sleep finally won the fight. 

His dreams, if he had any, were thankfully absent. The last thing he needed was to remember his greatest moment of weakness, a moment that betrayed everyone he loved. 

Billy didn’t think much of the deal he and Freddy made until a few days later when their re-runs were interrupted by a breaking news story. 

Both boys sat up, taut as a bowstring, as they listened to the details. A carjacking gone wrong leads to a high-speed chase through downtown Philadelphia. The cops keep trying to stop him, but the perp keeps eluding them. 

“Let’s go.” Freddy said, grin lighting up his face.

Billy smiled back, but inside he was a mess of conflict. He now regrets making that deal with him. Just the idea of Freddy going with him, helping him fight the bad guys, he fought to keep a happy façade. If only he could find a way to make Freddy understand why he wanted him to stay home…

“Yeah.” He said instead, calling out a half-ass excuse to Rosa before they took off out the door. They barely heard Rosa yell at them to be careful before they rushed to the end of the street.

“How about this?” Freddy calls, a few steps behind Billy. “Last one to save the day buys dinner. First one to save the day chooses where to go.”

“Didn’t think you liked White Castle that much?”

“Ha, ha. I’m dying of laughter. Actually, I’m craving a XXL burrito, so if you want onion soup on a bun, you’re gonna have to beat me to the perp!”

“You’re on,” is what Billy said, but inside he wanted to scream at Freddy to stay here. Stay out of danger. He wished he knew why he felt that way. “Shazam!”

“Shazam!” Lightning struck, and they were no longer teenage boys. Billy paused as he caught sight of Freddy’s super form. He almost forgot what he looked like when he was in super mode. It’s been so long since he saw him out in the daylight. Freddy only ever had a chance to change when in their lair, and even then, Billy often cut those nights short. 

Just babying the cripple. 

The way Freddy had said that with such resignation and anger made Billy feel sick. He really couldn’t understand why anyone could look Freddy in the eye and be so awful to him. The guy just screamed happiness and nerdiness. The Breyer boys really gave him his first look into Freddy’s struggles, and it was only scratching the surface from what he’s heard. 

The day after Freddy called Billy out for his overprotectiveness, as Billy wanted to call it, he couldn’t move the next day. He had to remain in bed, face drawn tight and red with pain, as Rosa waited on him hand and foot. It was a bad day, Rosa had said, where Freddy’s disability left him immobile and in pain. Billy left quickly after that, because he doubted Freddy seeing the tears in his eyes would make it any better. 

“Last location was downtown. You ready?” Freddy asked, already hovering. His crutch was in his hand still, ready to be stashed on some random rooftop. 

Billy straightened his posture, adopting his deep “heroic” voice. “Ready to kick ass.” 

Freddy grimaced slightly, shaking his head. “We still need to work on catch phrases. It’s still not one of your superpowers.”

Freddy took to the sky; Billy close behind him. As they headed towards the most recent location of the car chase, Billy couldn’t help but notice Freddy’s blissful expression as they flew. He could only imagine how Freddy felt, if he was even close to guessing how he felt. Since the day he caught the bus, he tried harder to understand Freddy in a way no one else would, but it seemed like everything he did for Freddy was wrong. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried to protect Freddy from suffering, it would backfire or end in a fight. Seeing Freddy’s face, full of joy and what Billy could only guess was freedom, only solidified his need to protect his best friend. He could move on after losing anybody else, but for some reason, he couldn’t tolerate the idea of losing Freddy. Losing him would mean losing everything.

“Down there!” Freddy called over the wind. Below them was a swerving SUV, ducking in and out of traffic with about seven patrol cars following it. 

Freddy gave almost no warning before he dived, Billy scrambling to follow him, calling his name. They flew over honking cars and flashing sirens as they tried to catch the speeding vehicle. 

“Billy!” Freddy cried. “The bridge!” 

Billy looked ahead and saw they were approaching Ben Franklin Bridge. They both sped their flight, this time tailing the SUV. 

“Go ahead and cut him off!” Freddy yelled over the wind. 

“No, too many cars. They could pile up!” Billy replied. And there were too many cars. The streets of the bridge were packed with afternoon traffic, giving the SUV almost no room to swerve through them. 

When it happened, they knew it was only a matter of time. The SUV began running head on into cars, forcing them out of the way. They sped, narrowly ducking under the first tower, before they saw the large truck run a small sedan into the guard rails. 

Freddy moved towards it with supernatural speed, even as a super. Then Billy saw it. The car had broken through the barriers.  
The car vanished over the side with Freddy close behind.

“Freddy!” Billy called, panic gripping his heart. Without even a second thought for the SUV, he dove down over the side of the bridge towards the river, where Freddy was speeding through the air to intercept the car. 

“I got this!” Freddy called back, lining himself below the falling car. 

Billy took off like a red missile through the air, colliding hard with Freddy and sending him spinning into the water. Billy remained in place and caught the car, grunting with only the sudden weight shocking his body. He fought gravity as it lowered him until only the tips of his toes grazed the river, then he rose, carrying the car to where a road block was set up at the other end of the bridge leading into New Jersey. He guessed the police there had a heads up. He didn’t feel too foolish though, as he lowered the car to the solid ground. Inside the sedan was a man with two children, who looked maybe they were around four and ten. Yeah, he made a good call. 

He heard cursing and swearing as he saw a hooded man being dragged away in handcuffs. The SUV was now riddled with bullet holes. That’s how they got him to stop. Billy nodded to himself. That’s one way to do it, though the idea of grabbing the bumper and digging his feet in the pavement would have been cooler. He stood there for a moment, brushing off the sedan driver’s tearful thanks, and hugs from the kids. Once cameras began to approach, he hovered beyond their reach, giving them his heroic grin. 

“No thanks are necessary, fair citizens.” He recited, feeling a little cheesy. “It’s just another day of being…um, what’s my name now? Uh. You know what, never mind.” He cleared his throat, puffing out his chest. “It’s just been another day of saving you guys. You know, as a hero. Another day of being a hero—” He sighed. 

And that’s why Freddy told you to rehearse your lines, Batson! He gasped. Freddy!

As he thought of his best friend, he heard the others react in awe as a blur of blue shot past the bridge disappearing in the Philadelphia skyline. 

He fought the urge to curl in on himself. 

He took off after Freddy, ignoring the calls for an interview. He glided around the tall buildings, glancing over each roof. As he went further in, fear began to grip his chest. There was no glowing bolt or a blue suit anywhere. Everything in the late afternoon was washed in the surrounding buildings’ gray stone, sending almost everything into a monochromatic color scheme. He was about to speed home when he caught a faint glimpse of someone on the roof of an office complex. 

As he came closer, he saw Freddy in his teenage body. He also saw Freddy trying to walk, despite missing his crutch. 

“Freddy!” He called when he got close enough. Freddy ignored him. His lips were pressed in a thin line as he took another step. Before he fell, he reached out and caught himself on the roof’s ledge, breathing heavily. 

Billy landed on the roof with a stumble, rushing over to his friend to help him up, but the minute he grabbed Freddy’s arm, he was shoved away. It was more surprise than force that sent him back. The look Freddy gave him chilled his blood, freezing him from the inside. He then noticed that Freddy was actually freezing, fingers blood red as they clenched the snow-covered ledge behind him. 

“Freddy, come on.” He said softly, holding a hand out to help him. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go home.” The fact he called the Vasquez’s home didn’t slip by, but the death glare he was receiving from his best friend made it seem not so important. 

“Why did you do that? We could have lost that guy because of what you did.” His legs were visibly trembling. Billy opened his mouth to say something about it, but Freddy collapsed to the ground, leaning back against the roof’s ledge. 

“I didn’t mean to push you out of the w—”

“Don’t lie to me!” Freddy yelled, his voice carrying over the frosty wind. “You pushed me! You swooped down and chucked my ass in the river! If I wasn’t super, I’m pretty sure the temperatures alone would have killed me!”

“Freddy, I don’t know why I did it. I just saw you and the car—”

“And what?!” Freddy clenched his fists. A fiery blush crept up his neck, coloring his face blood red. “You needed to save me? You needed to protect me?” He scoffed, the sound weighed down with restrained fury. 

Billy suddenly felt uncomfortable in his adult form. 

“Do you rush in to save Eugene when he does some heavy lifting? When Darla speeds away with three people on each arm, do you fly in to take it away from her?” Freddy’s hands shook as he clenched them together, the knuckles turning white. “I have the same powers as the rest of them, Billy! Just because you may think I need to be babied—”

“I don’t think you need to be babied!” Billy spat, pacing. He then groaned in frustration. “Ugh, forget this—Shazam!” Lightning struck the rooftop, sending up a cloud of smoke and steam. Billy stepped out of the haze, arms crossed and a guarded expression on his teenage face. “Look, Freddy, I saw someone I care about in the path of a falling car. I’m pretty sure if the situation was reversed—”

“Bullshit!” Freddy barked, climbing to his feet. He wobbled unsteadily before locking his knees to hold him upright. The strain visible on his face made Billy grimace. Why hadn’t he gone back for his crutch? 

“Every day, Billy, you treat me with kid gloves. You always shove me through the nearest door when the Breyers pass you in the hallway. You do my chores behind my back—I know it’s you! Victor has already told me!” As he’s speaking, Freddy shifts forward, moving closer to Billy. From the expression on his face, Billy was sure it wasn’t for anything good. “When we hang out, we have to sit on every flat surface you can find. ‘To rest,’ you would say. You’re such a bad liar. I know it’s because you think I can’t limp more than ten feet.”

He finally made it within reaching distance of Billy, knees shaking with the effort and sweat beading on his face. His eyes, though, weren’t as angry as Billy thought. They were angry, sure, but down deeper there was just a deep well of hurt and frustration. 

“At first, I humored you. It was your first time with a crippled foster brother, I figured, so I’d let you baby me. I did stop you when you crossed the line, though. Carrying my bookbag for me? Putting my arm over your shoulder after walking more than twenty feet? Those had to stop. I thought you would eventually take a hint. That you would eventually see I’m not as weak and fragile as you thought I was.” He carefully gestured behind him, a smile creeping on his face. “The carnival was freaking awesome! You guys were so busy fighting that I could do whatever the hell I wanted. I kicked Pride’s ass! Though maybe bragging about it probably isn’t the way to say that, because that’s prideful, and I feel like being prideful about defeating Pride is like saying Beetlejuice three times, and I’ve already said his name two times—I’m getting off my point! Anyway! I was truly a superhero.”

He let his last words hang in the little bit of air between them, then sighed.

“I’ve never felt super before in my life. Getting my powers, being able to fly, being able to lose that stupid crutch, if even for a minute, it’s the greatest feeling I’ve ever felt. It must be great for you guys, too, but I doubt you would understand how much greater it is for me. I have the ability to fly, after an entire life of being told I can’t even walk. Do you see me right now, Billy?”

Biting words as cold as the snow whipping around them ran through Billy’s head.

Do you even see me? Because most people don’t. Because they don’t want to.

Billy shrugged, not sure what expression he had. “You’re walking.”

Freddy snorted, “Yeah, barely. I feel like I have to make a point here. To prove to you that I deserve these powers as much as the rest of you.”

“What are you talking about?!” Billy cried, frowning. “You’re as much of a hero as the rest of us!”

“Am I?” The question was quiet, but it might as well have been a clap of thunder. Billy froze, his mind blanking of anything to say. Freddy ignored him as he continued, “I remember the carnival. We were all standing there, after kicking the old man’s ass, and the crowd was gathering around us cheering. In that moment, I forgot what was waiting for me back home. What I had left back in that tent. All I knew was that, yeah, of course they’re cheering for me. I’m a hero! I saved the carnival, maybe even the world.”

Freddy shook in place, whether from the strain of standing or the cold Billy didn’t know. His fists were still balled tightly, his shoulders stiff.

“That’s the last time I felt like a hero, Billy.” He finished, hurt brimming his eyes. “I haven’t felt like anything more than a burden since.” 

“Freddy,” whatever Billy was about to say was cut off when Freddy collapsed with a curse, hands shaking violently. Billy dropped to one knee to help him but was again shoved away. He fell back on his butt, scraping his hands on the rough concrete of the roof. He didn’t hear Freddy speak, but a bolt of lightning struck where he just was, blowing up smoke and dust from the roof. 

He couldn’t see Freddy but he saw the glowing lightning bolt on his chest, and he felt worse than ever. 

“Freddy,” he said again, his voice small. I’m sorry. 

Freddy, without another word, took off, becoming a blue blur as he flew further into the city. The word to transform was there on Billy’s lips, but he decided to let Freddy go for now. He couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t make it worse. It was his fault. He was so worried about Freddy that he’s been hiding him from trouble. He just wanted to keep him safe. 

“I can’t lose you, Freddy.” He said to no one, but it was a start to getting his point across. 

Freddy fought the slight twinge in his leg as he roughly landed on another roof. He overworked his leg. If it hurts this bad as a super, he won’t be able to walk at all when he changed back. He fought a grimace as he walked to where he had stashed his crutch. With it in his larger hands, once again the thought to bend and twist it beyond recognition made his muscles twitch. Every time he picked it up, he wanted so badly to mangle and destroy it, even as a scrawny teenager. 

“Such a prideful species.” Freddy whipped around, heart pounding in his chest. What could only be described as a sinister laugh echoed around the roof. The atmosphere created by the setting sun and the snow blowing through the air only served to raise goosebumps down Freddy’s back. “To think that only because you walk on two legs, well, in your case, not so much, that your species think themselves superior to all. When, in fact, you are just as much an animal as the rest of this filthy world.” 

As far as he could see, the roof was empty. He fought to keep his anxiety in check, even though he was sure he would die of fear if whatever this was decided to jump out and scare him. The tinny, monotone voice laughed, and Freddy was sure he could hear it more in his head than in his ears. 

“Who are you?” He called; thankful his voice didn’t crack. Though, he guessed, this body was at the tail end of puberty so voice cracks wouldn’t be an issue. 

“A true higher species, I assure you. One who can see right through your pathetic façade, Frederick Freeman.”

Freddy’s flight or fight instinct kicked into high gear as what felt like ice glided down his spine. Then he felt something invasive and foreign brush his mind, and he knew. 

“You’re a supervillain.” He breathed, horror clenching his gut. He was so not ready for this. There was no buildup. There’s always a buildup, isn’t there? They show up, they introduce themselves, they monologue, and then they fight, right? 

“That would imply you were the hero, Mr. Freeman.” Freddy maintained a death grip on his crutch, itching to fly away. “That would not be wise, Mr. Freeman, as I now have control over everything you do.”

He fought the urge for his hands to shake as he still tried to find the source of that voice. If he wasn’t itching to run away, he would have felt foolish talking to the air, but the threat was here, and he never felt less ready for it. He felt even more unprepared than when Sivana cornered him at the mall. 

He again regretted ditching Billy.

“Perhaps a demonstration is in order, Mr. Freeman?”

Freddy backed away until the back of his knees hit the edge of the roof, making him wobble uncertainly. The invasive force in his head pressed in, giving him a headache. He flinched; a hand raised halfway to his temple when a powerful urge to speak overcame him. When he realized what word was fighting to come out, he clenched his lips shut. 

The pain grew in his head as his throat ached to speak. He dropped the crutch, bringing both hands up to his mouth to keep his voice from escaping. Whatever, or whoever it was that was controlling him was pressing harder. Freddy’s hearing was drowned out by the sound of his blood rushing. He could feel his face blazing with heat and his throat felt raw. 

“One word, Frederick, and the pain will stop.”

One word and I’m a dead man. Freddy wanted to snap back, but he wouldn’t dare open his mouth. Turns out he didn’t need to. 

“There is no need to die, Mr. Freeman. Not yet.” 

Freddy screamed, muffled, behind his hands as what felt like a white-hot spike ran through his head. Despite the phantom laugh echoing around him, he decided to risk it and leapt off the building, taking off into the air. 

He pushed himself faster and harder, trying to get away from the pressure in his head. He felt it ease as he rose higher. He then felt dread as the laugh continued in his head, sending tremors through his body. 

Say it, Mr. Freeman. 

His throat suddenly seized, and he couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“Shazam.” Thunder clapped above him as lightning struck. It was a surreal moment as his human body sat suspended in the air, then a moment of terror as he fell. 

He tried to say shazam again, but the force in his mind twitched and his throat constricted. His air was cut off, adding a new struggle as he free-fell. He tried to gasp and scream but no sound would escape. 

Once again, he was asking himself why the hell he ditched Billy, but then considering how much control this force had over him, he was also thankful he did. 

The ground rose fast to meet him. He braced himself for the eventual impact. The force in his head suddenly left, making him lightheaded as his breath rushed in. He drew in a sharp breath as he narrowly missed a fire escape.

“Shazam!” Thunder boomed through the air, but he never saw the lightning strike. Right after the word left his mouth, something hard and sharp struck his head, sending everything to black. 

The last thing he heard before truly losing consciousness was the tinned laughter from the roof. It sounded so close, as if whoever it was standing over him.

Billy…his thoughts trailed off into just vague emotions, but again, it was more than enough.

“Mr. Batson will be joining us soon, Mr. Freeman. After all, he is the hero.”


	2. "A little hopeless?!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddy's disappearance hits Billy the hardest of all. He should have stayed. He should never have let Freddy walk away. Now they were supposed to go on as if nothing happened! Billy is forced to keep up appearances for the family while looking for Freddy. Things go horribly wrong when suddenly he finds himself face to face with Freddy's captor.
> 
> **I am so sorry this has taken so long, guys! I'm a stay at home mom so while everybody else has been finishing stories at the speed of light, I had to come to a screeching halt. I promise to keep up with these stories, but as Billy Batson can tell you, family comes first. So please be patient. I promise to make it up to you, guys!**

Rosa hesitated before opening the door to Billy and Freddy’s room. Freddy’s disappearance also meant the disappearance of Billy, at least in spirit. When Billy stormed into the house Saturday night, closed off as if it was his first night home all over again, she worried. Teenagers fight, of course, but how hurt Billy seemed meant whatever it was that came between them was something big. She had wanted to wait for Freddy to come home to get his side of the story, but when he never came home, Billy only seemed to get worse. 

She finally opened the door, quietly walking in. The lights were off and there was hardly any sound, but she could feel more than see that Billy was there. 

“Billy, mijo, you have to go to school. You haven't left this room since Sunday.” Rosa didn’t get an answer in the darkened bedroom. She sighed. “You’re still not talking?” 

A groan came from further inside, but Rosa was surprised to realize that it came from the bottom bunk, not the top. She reached out to flip on the light, making the teenager flinch and throw the blanket over his head, groaning. The brief glimpse she got of his reddened, bruised eyes worried her. 

“Have you even been sleeping?” She asked, rushing over to him. She grabbed the blanket, about to pull it off him.

Then he spoke. “Please don’t.”

His voice was thick and scratchy, and the sound broke his foster mother’s heart. “Mi amor, we’re all worried about you. It’s Thursday, Billy. You can’t miss a whole week of school. You’ve missed too many assignments already.”

The blankets under her were yanked roughly, pulled tighter around the figure curled under them. She could feel his form shake slightly. His knuckles, where they were visible, were white with his tight grip. She gently laid a hand on his shoulder, fighting the urge to pull back when he flinched. 

She heard him take a deep breath, unable to keep it from shaking as it came out. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. 

Rosa shook her head. “It is not your fault, mijo. I know you’re worried about Freddy—”

“No!” He spat, curling up tighter under the covers. “It’s my fault he left. He was angry with me. I’m the reason he left. He said he was sick of me always trying to protect him. That I couldn’t trust him.” 

Rosa sighed, shaking her head. She could admit that Billy was a little overzealous when it came to Freddy. He still held everyone else at an arm’s length, going as far as he could before something was done or said that would make him shut off. Freddy, however, tore down Billy’s walls, never reaching a point where Billy had to withdraw. Rosa could tell the two boys were very close, but she had no idea that Freddy managed to get this deep under Billy’s skin. She could imagine herself like this if Victor had been missing, which made her wonder exactly how close they really were. 

“Billy,” she began slowly, “I can’t imagine anything that you could say or do that would make Freddy leave like this. He may get angry and he may say some hurtful things, but he would never let you out of his sight. You’re important to him and he cares about you.” 

“He hates me.” Came the shaky reply. “He hates how I make him feel.”

Rosa glanced back at the door, briefly hoping somehow Victor knew to come help. They were entering dangerous territory, and she felt like she was walking on eggshells. 

“He doesn’t hate you, Billy. I know that Freddy,” she had to stop as her throat caught and she could feel a wet pressure build in her eyes. Freddy’s disappearance was hard on everyone in the house, but Rosa had to keep everyone going forward. She couldn’t let them stop and worry. She couldn’t let them fester on all the possible horrors she imagined. She couldn’t let them wonder if Freddy was hurt, or even dead. It’s been three days. Even as a runaway, the odds for Freddy were vanishing. 

She took a deep breath, forcing the lump out of her throat. “I know that Freddy’s disability is a sore topic, and that he has his bad days, or his bad weeks, but he always forgives the people he loves. He has seen the worst of people when it comes to his leg, but that just makes him appreciate our love even more. I know at the end of the day, he sees how hard you’re trying to be there for him.”

He finally lowered the covers, sitting up to face her. She winced at the sight of him. His hair was mussed, sticking up in places. His eyes were dark and sunken in, as if he hadn’t slept for weeks. His skin was pale except for the redness around his eyes and nose, swollen with crying. 

“I shouldn’t have left him alone. I thought I was giving him space, but if I had went after him—”

“There’s no way you can know that would have helped. If he was—” she couldn’t say it. She could not say ‘kidnapped’. “If something happened, you may have been hurt, or you may very well have been,” she couldn’t say ‘taken’ either, but Billy seemed to understand what she was trying to say. 

Even though he understood, it still looked like he disagreed. 

“I would have been able to help him.” He insisted. “If I was there—”

“You can’t torture yourself with the ‘if’s, Billy. All we can do is have faith. The police have everything they could possibly need, and they are searching day and night.” Billy scoffed softly, looking away. “I know that doesn’t seem like much, but it’s all we have.” 

The silence that followed was suffocating. It eventually grew to where Rosa couldn’t take it anymore and she stood.

She was almost to the door, preparing herself to call the school on Billy’s behalf, when he spoke. “I’ll go to school. For Freddy. He’d kill me if this got me held back.”

Tears brimmed Rosa’s eyes and she forced herself to smile at Billy, even though he wasn’t looking. The pure sense of resignation in his voice and his posture made her worry even more. 

“Okay,” was all she said. She turned and left, but not before she blew him a kiss, her eyes still too bright with unshed tears. 

Once the door shut, Billy fought the urge to just run away. To pack his things and take off. That was the old him. He wasn’t that punk kid that ran away anymore. He had to stay for his family.

That didn’t mean, however, that he wasn’t looking for his best friend. 

Rosa probably thought the dark circles were from rough sleep and crying. Well, she was half right. His lack of sleep was from no sleep at all. He would spare an hour or two after dinner, or before sunrise, to sleep so he wasn’t completely useless, but once everyone went to bed, he was off. It was the same with skipping school. As soon as Rosa and Victor left the house, he was off scouring the cities around them looking for Freddy. He has lost count of how many back alleys, dumpsters, and subway tunnels he’s searched through. How many missing people he has uncovered, just not Freddy. All day and all night Billy was pushing himself further and further past his exhaustion. Whoever had Freddy, and it was certainly a someone, because he has searched everywhere a runaway could possibly be, and he was a runaway himself so he could think of some creative places. He’s moved on from Philadelphia into the neighboring cities, but it was still proving useless. 

Rosa may have noticed his voice sounding rough. That was from screaming himself hoarse the night before as desperation finally won over Billy’s self-control. He didn’t care if it was the middle of the night. He still stood on the rooftops, screaming Freddy’s name as loud as he could, hoping that Freddy would respond, or at least know someone was looking for him. 

Billy moved mechanically through the motions of getting ready and following his siblings to school. It was then that Billy missed Mary more than ever. She would have given him what little comfort he would take, and be someone for him to lean on, both as a kid and a superhero. No matter what form he was in, she was the big sister he needed in times like this. 

Pedro, Eugene, and Darla kept giving him heavy looks as they walked up to the school. They were looking at him like they were expecting him to do something, or say something, while they were huddled together. When he didn’t, they looked away with a sad look in their eyes, and Billy felt even more like a failure.

What was he supposed to do? Magically know where Freddy is and save the day? As if he hasn’t already checked every single nook and cranny in their massive city? As if he hasn’t considered every villain, super or otherwise, they’ve come across? As if he wasn’t awake every night, fighting for every breath he took, tears running down his face, feeling like he was dying from the worry of what Freddy might be going through?!

As they approached the entrance of the school, Billy heard a familiar voice call to them, and his heart plummeted. Not today, he prayed. Not today. 

“Hey, guys!” Brett smirked, blocking their path. Billy’s fists clenched as he stopped at the back of the group, trying to resist the urge to punch the idiot’s lights out. “Say, where’s Freddy?” He asked, feigning innocence. Then the innocence quickly turned to a sadistic grin. “Oh, right! He went missing! Sorry about that.”

Burke walked up to join his brother, bending down to meet Darla’s eyes. “Where do you suppose he is? It’s not like he could actually run away, so something must have happened.”

“Leave her alone.” Pedro growled, pulling Darla behind him. Darla fought the trembling in her lip as she stood tall against the bullies. Billy took a moment to admire that. He certainly didn’t feel like standing tall at the moment. 

“Oh? And what are you gonna do, lard ass?!” Brett spat, getting in Pedro’s face. “Are you gonna sit on us? Eat us? Ooh, I’m scared!”

“Knock it off!” Eugene barked. He would have stepped forward had Pedro’s arm not been blocking him.

“Oh, really?” Burke laughed, turning to Eugene. “Shouldn’t you be getting to class? After all, isn’t not getting that ‘A’ the reason your parents dumped you?”  
Billy sighed before pushing his way through all of them to face the Breyers. The brothers saw his intention and stepped forward, cornering him in. Billy couldn’t care less. 

“Back off,” he hissed, barely heard over the noise of the bustling students. “Walk away now before you’re no longer able to.”

There was a pause before the brothers broke down in a roar of laughter, wiping their eyes for effect. They sneered as they squared off with Billy. 

“Billy,” Pedro began, but Billy waved him off. 

“Get Eugene and Darla inside now.” His tone left no room for argument. His hands shook and his posture was like steel. The waves of anger he was giving off could be felt by all of them. Slowly his siblings walked away, meshing in with the other students as they made their way inside. 

Burke whistled. “Wow, that was impressive. Just up and ran like your little bitch, didn’t he?” His laugh was cut off as Billy gave him a vicious right hook. He smirked in satisfaction when blood arced, and he heard a crack. Whether it was his knuckles or Burke’s face, he didn’t care. It felt good to do that. 

He didn’t have much time to revel in it, though, as Brett tackled him, trying to take him to the ground, but Billy was prepared for this. He pulled Brett’s weight up and over, rolling him off and dropping him to the ground. Burke dived for his legs, pulling him down. Spots burst in his eyes as his head collided with the cement walkway, but it only fueled the red haze filling his brain. All he knew was he wanted to take out his anger, his sorrow, his fear out on these idiots. 

He faintly heard kids gathering around them, cheering and egging them on, but he ignored them as he fought to get out from underneath Burke. The older boy managed to get a few punches in, bruising up Billy’s face and making his nose bleed, while Brett stood and kicked him wherever he could reach. The pain grew thicker and thicker in his senses, but it only seemed to push him harder. He rolled to the side, knocking Burke off and climbed over him, getting him with repetitive punches before Brett wrapped an arm around his neck. 

The struggle for air, while it brought to mind the panicked memory of drowning at the carnival, was short-lived as Billy bit Brett’s arm, elbowing him in the head when he let go. He returned to punching the face off of Burke, throwing some defensive hits when Brett got too close. 

He was so lost in the pain, so lost in his own head, that he didn’t notice someone pulling him away from the bullies until his feet were in the air, flailing. He struggled against the arms wrapped around him, screaming and cursing everything. The Breyers, whoever pulled him off of them, and the whole world. 

It was not fair! Freddy didn’t deserve to be taken! Someone took him. Someone was holding him against his will, possibly hurting him, and it was all because Billy didn’t go after him that night. If he was there, he would have been able to protect him, one way or another. Rosa said he would have most likely been taken too. He still would have been able to protect his best friend. He would have fought, mouthed off, made escape attempts, anything at all to keep their attention on him. He could take it. He has already had to more than once. It wouldn’t be his first round with people like that. 

“Son!” The person holding him yelled over his outraged cries. “Calm down so we can go inside!” It was one of the gym teachers that had him. Billy reluctantly stopped struggling, yanking away the moment his feet touched the ground. The teacher, who Billy also recognized as the baseball coach, crossed his arms. “The principal wants you in his office. Now!” 

He bit back a scathing response, hearing the Breyers snicker next to him.

“All of you!” The coach snapped, glaring at the brothers. That shut the bullies up. Billy began walking inside to the principal’s office, not caring if the others were following. 

While they were in the office, Billy just sat off to the side, glaring at the floor. He didn’t listen to this principal’s scolding or the Breyers whining about being the victims. He didn’t care. All he could see was the blood spotting his knuckles and his mind conjuring up images of Freddy, bleeding, maybe dying somewhere. Freddy was in trouble and pretending that he couldn’t do anything about it was only wasting time. 

He barely noticed his phone when it vibrated in his pocket. He absently reached in to silence it, not moving his gaze from the off-white linoleum at his feet.

“Mr. Batson?” The principal, Mr. Guildman, called. It was only out of a desire to get it over with that Billy looked up. Whatever expression he had made Guildman pause, before clearing his throat. “These two have been in and out of my office since school began, but this is my first time seeing you here. I understand with the current circumstances, things may seem a little hopeless.”

The room fell away in a haze of red, and Billy jumped to his feet.

“A little hopeless?!” He snapped, clenching his fists. “Freddy is gone! Missing! Someone took him and we’re all dancing around this like it never happened!” He took a deep breath, trying to stave off his rapid heartbeat, which was echoing painfully in his ears. “He could be dying right now! Whoever has him could be abusing him, torturing him! The only good thing is it won’t be any different from everything these two assholes,” he pointed at the Breyers, seething, “have done! Everyone ignores his suffering every single day. I can’t! The pain that he feels every damn day of his life because of them and everyone else in this damn school! All of you hate him because of something he had no control over. And now he’s gone. He has to be the single most heroic person I know, and just like that, he’s gone.” Tears were brimming in his eyes and it took everything in him to hold them back. His chest ached and he felt like he was choking. 

They were wasting time! He should be out right now looking for him!

Guildman cleared his throat again, before leaning forward on his elbows. He toyed with a rolling pencil on his desk before speaking, “I’m sorry if I implied that I didn’t care about Freddy’s disappearance—”

“You don’t!”

“Let me finish,” the principal insisted firmly. “Because this is the first time you have come to this office, and due to the circumstances, I’m willing to let you off with just a write-up. Since you threw the first punch, that means that the Breyers get off with a write-up as well.”

When the Breyers sat up straighter with a smirk, Guildman turned to them with a hard stare. “That doesn’t mean you two are off the hook! Before Coach Avery found you, students were banging on my door, telling me about you two. The things that were said were inexcusable. You will be receiving detention for both free periods and an hour after school every day for the next two weeks. I’m sure your dad will be thrilled to take time off from work to pick you up from school, starting today. I’m sending you home for the rest of the day as well. Hopefully this will be the punishment you need to finally get your acts together. You two wait out in the hall.” The Breyers sighed, visibly deflated, before standing to leave. 

Billy stared at the floor as they left. He could feel their glare burning through him, but he didn’t care. Under the aches in his face and body, everything felt dull, numb. 

When the door shut behind them, the principal spoke. “Mr. Batson, you seemed to have miss three days of school this week. If you don’t wish to go home, you don’t have to, but I will be calling your foster parents and letting them know what happened. If they come down here to take you home, there’s nothing I can do.”

“I want to stay.” Was all he said. Rosa would be so disappointed in him if he ditched after one day. He would finish today, for her.

Guildman nodded once, as if he understood. Billy suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He didn’t understand. He could live a hundred lifetimes and he wouldn’t understand. “Very well. I will write you a pass and you can go straight to your next class. First period will be ending in a moment.” He pulled a pad of sticky notes over, scribbling on it in that illegible scrawl all of Billy’s teachers seemed to have. You couldn’t read it but that’s why it was hard to forge. They always seemed to know the difference. He tore off the note and handed it to Billy, who stood to take it. 

“Mr. Batson,” the principal said gently, “if you need to talk to someone, the school counselor is two doors down from here. If she can’t help, she may know someone who can. No matter how big and bad things may seem, you always need someone to talk to.”

Billy shrugged, fidgeting with the late note in one hand and the strap of his bookbag with the other. “I’ll think about it.” 

Mr. Guildman smiled and gestured to the door. “Good. Head on to class. You have a lot of ground to make up, I’m sure.”

Billy said nothing as he quickly left the room to find his locker. 

Everything around him seemed to blur again as he went to class. The voices had no words, they were just dull booms and buzzes in his ears. He guessed his teachers ignored him, though he wasn’t sure. Since he couldn’t focus on class, he instead focused on Freddy. In his notebook, he wrote fervently. Every city he scoured, every sewer, back alley, and abandoned warehouse was listed on the paper in front of him. On paper, it seemed like so much. A feat no ordinary human could hope to accomplish in four days, possibly beyond most superheroes, but to Billy, it wasn’t nearly enough. All he saw was a list of places Freddy wasn’t!

He jumped when the bell rang for lunch. Had he sat through third and fourth period, already?!

He ignored anybody’s attempts to speak to him. Mostly teachers, but he brushed past them. He skipped the lunch line, sitting at a familiar table at the back of the lunchroom. If he closed his eyes, he could see Freddy sitting next to him, face blood red and stuttering under the eyes of Superman. None of his siblings had a lunch period with him, which made him jump when someone sat next to him. 

Pedro nodded silently at him before tearing open his silverware. Billy gave him a confused stare and Pedro shrugged. 

“I talked to the principal. He gave me a pass.” He said, handing Billy the apple on his tray. After a moment, Billy took it, gripping it hard when his stomach growled. Pedro noticed his discomfort. “You’ll do him no good when you find him and you’re too weak to save him. Eat.” 

Billy looked up at him, then begrudgingly took a bite. “What makes you so sure I’ll find him?” he asked through his bite. His appetite, despite his hunger, was nonexistent. The apple tasted like nothing and it felt like broken glass going down his throat. 

“You’re you.” Pedro replied, as if that explained everything. He then looked down, taking his phone out of his pocket. “Sorry,” he said, grimacing, “Darla has been texting me every class period. She’s worried about you.” 

“I’m fine.” Billy replied automatically. 

“No, you’re not, but if it’s what it takes to find our brother, I’ll let it slide.” He sent a quick reply before looking back up. “Has she been texting you, too? I told her you would reply.” 

Billy winced, forcing another bite in his mouth. “My phone buzzed earlier. I never checked it, though.” He put the apple down, reaching into his pocket for his phone. 

When he turned it on, his heart plummeted, and his blood froze.

“It was a missed call.” He said, his hands shaking. “From Freddy.”

Pedro froze as well, dropping his fork with a clatter. It seemed like it took an eternity, but it was probably only a minute before Pedro forced himself to speak. “Did he leave any messages?”

Billy shook his head. “No.” Before anything else could be said, he smashed the redial icon, his pulse hammering as it started ringing in his ear. Freddy was okay! He got away! He found his phone and escaped! Now all Billy has to do is find out where he is, ditch school, go super, and go get him.

He heard a click and someone breathing. His heart burst with excitement and he couldn’t contain it. “Freddy! Oh thank god! Where are you right now? Give me an idea of where you are and I can get there in no—”

“I’m afraid Freddy’s not here at the moment…Chosen One.”

Billy reached out, gripping Pedro’s arms so tight, his knuckles were white. Everything else seem to fall away, even his own ability to breathe. Everything inside of him locked in place. He was sure his own blood stopped pumping. Fear made his palms sweat as a chilling chuckle echoed through his ears. 

“S-Sivana?” He choked out, tears clogging his throat. No! He was in jail! There was no way he could have taken-

Pedro froze as well, staring at Billy with wide eyes. 

“On the phone during school hours, Billy?” Sivana taunted and Billy could almost hear him smirk. “Isn’t that against the rules?”

“What do you want?” Billy snapped, fighting to keep his voice low. “Where’s Freddy?” 

“What I want hasn’t changed. As for Freddy…” There was a shuffle over the line until a high, panicked breath panted through the phone.  
“Billy!” Freddy gasped, as if he were in pain.

“Freddy!” Pedro sat up straighter, glancing around them quickly before leaning in towards Billy, as if he could hear Freddy on the other end. “Freddy, where are you?! We’ll come get you!”

“No! Don’t come!” Freddy’s voice dropped as if he was cut off, but then with a groan he said, “Everybody stay away! It’s not just Sivana! He has—” Freddy cried out in pain and it faded as the phone was shuffled again.

“Freddy! FREDDY!” 

“As you can hear, Chosen One, Freddy isn’t faring very well. I suggest you listen, and do as I say, though young men your age do struggle with listening to adults. Real adults.” 

Billy grimaced, vaguely hearing the school bell ringing to signal next period. While everybody shuffled out of the room, he and Pedro sat stiff. Billy’s hands ached where he gripped the phone next to his ear. Were he super, he would have crushed it the minute Freddy called his name. 

Pedro gestured to him, wanting to know what was happening, but Billy shook his head. His jaw ached as he could almost hear his teeth grinding. 

“I’m listening.”

Sivana hummed in satisfaction before speaking, “In five minutes, I will text you an address. You will leave everything and everyone behind to meet me there to negotiate Freddy’s safety. You will show up with no reinforcements and no powers. No one will know where you are, and you will come with me willingly. Do you understand?”

Billy glanced at Pedro, seeing him as well as Mary, Darla, and Eugene. What Sivana didn’t know was that Billy would have most likely not told them anyway. He didn’t need to put any of the others in danger. He has already done more than enough by putting his best friend on the line. 

“I’ll do it.” Billy said this firmly, but inside he was shaking wildly. Chills walked up and down his skin raising goosebumps, despite the sweat tickling the back of his neck. “I want to speak to Freddy again.”

The line clicked, and Billy felt as empty as the silence on the other end. His hands still shook as he pocketed his phone. A part of him wanted to shrivel up and cry, another part of him wanted to flip the table in a screaming rage. But all of him knew one thing: he had to leave. Now.

He shot to his feet, ignoring Pedro as he scrambled to follow him. The tardy bell for their next class rang but he barely perceived the sound as his feet stomped to the exit. 

A hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him. He barely restrained the urge to lash out and punch the offender. Pedro’s face said that he was expecting it, ready to block him. 

“What did Sivana want?” Billy didn’t answer him, but Pedro nodded as if it was answer enough. “Do you want me to get the others?” 

He shook his head, staring hard at the lockers over Pedro’s shoulders. “Go to class. Act normal. Go home and play dumb. As far as you know, I ran off with no warning. Stay with the others. I’ll bring Freddy home.”

He turned to leave, but Pedro grabbed his shoulder again. “What if he takes you, too? You’ll need help.”

Billy pushed him off, with more effort than he thought it would take. Already he could feel the strength Pedro has gained since going super.

“Stay home. I will not allow any of you to be another bargaining chip. He wants me. Not you. You stay and keep the heroics to a minimum. No more robberies. No more car chases. Only interfere when it’s absolutely necessary.” He started walking again. This time, Pedro didn’t follow him. 

“What about you?!” Pedro called, concern loud in his voice.

“I’ll save him or die trying.” Billy then broke out into a run, slipping around turns in the hallway. Moran was at his post by the entrance. Billy tore past him, ignoring his loud protests and cries for assistance. He ran as fast as he could, ignoring the chaos behind him as adults rushed to stop him. He leapt over the concrete stairs leading up to the school, slipping on the icy sidewalk before sprinting towards the end of the street. 

He could still hear Moran screaming for him to stop, but he ducked into the nearest alley, holding his aching side as he panted for breath. When he could speak again, he yelled, “Shazam!” 

Lightning struck. The smoke barely cleared before he shot into the sky, the cold wind whipping past his ears as he took off downtown. 

Turns out he had good instincts. Moments after changing back, his phone buzzed. It was an address a couple of blocks away, some dingy nightclub on the outskirts of the entertainment district. He jogged to the address, pausing to catch his breath at crosswalks and street corners before he found the place. He almost missed the place as it was nothing but just a steel door in the brick wall. The only giveaway was the unlit neon ‘Enter’ over the door. 

He reached out to open the door, but then froze when he saw side of the door mangled by the handle, as if a monster crushed the side and ripped it open. With a deep breath, he forced himself to take the handle and walk inside.

The club itself was dark and smelled stale, like he was the first person to enter the building in quite some time. He dreaded the slow swing of the door behind him as the only stream of light slowly shrunk until it vanished with a loud metallic clack. He slowly crept forward, inching his feet around him to make sure he didn’t trip over anything in the darkness. He swung his hands out in front of him, bumping chairs and tables, their movement loud and grating in the silence. 

He eventually stopped running into tables, and he felt his sneakers step up on a smooth floor. The dance floor, he guessed, still edging forward, his shoes squeaking loudly as they dragged over the slick tile. 

His ears ached with his pulse pounding in them as he blindly pushed forward, expecting something to jump him at any moment. Thankfully, but not thankfully at the same time, it was dead quiet. 

At this point, he was pretty sure he came here to die. 

Then the lights came on, blinding the world white.

When his vision cleared, Sivana was standing alone about ten feet in front of him. He wore the same type of clothing he had at the carnival. He wore a crisp suit under a long leather jacket, but what was new was the translucent white amulet hanging around his neck. The sight of it sent chills down Billy’s back, though he couldn’t say why. The older man also wore a black leather eye patch. 

The fierce expression of hatred was the same. Billy suddenly felt too exposed, too vulnerable.

“Chosen One,” Sivana mused, his good eye observing him. “My, how you’ve grown.” He chuckled, raising a hand to run a finger over the pendant hanging from his neck. “Did anyone follow you?”

Billy clenched his fists, rage simmering under his skin. “No. I’m alone.”

Sivana nodded, in thought, before smirking at Billy. “Such a good boy.”

“Where’s Freddy?” Billy spat. Sivana frowned. He then began to slowly walk around Billy. Billy spun just as slowly to follow him, unsure where this was going. 

“He’s unharmed. That’s all you need to know.” 

The urge to rage, to hit, was making Billy’s heart race. “Well, I’m here now, so let him go.” 

“I don’t think I can.” Sivana sneered. “Unfortunately, Chosen One, I’m not the one in charge here. I’m just simply here to collect you. You know, stranger danger and all that.” Billy paused, Sivana moving out of sight. There was someone else. Freddy was trying to warn him over the phone. Whoever it was has Freddy terrified. They were hurting him. His scream still echoed in Billy’s ears. 

A light brush of something hit the back of Billy’s neck. He shuddered as his skin crawled. 

Then he felt something heavy step up behind him, their hot breath heating Billy’s back. His feet felt weighed down by his stomach, but he had to turn. He had to see. 

Envy was taller than he remembered. Then again, he only ever saw the sin as a superhero so in his human form, Envy seemed especially intimidating. The bulged, corded muscles on his body suddenly made Billy wonder how painful it was to be torn in half. 

The word rose in his throat before he could stop it, “Sha—” A large hand clapped over his mouth from behind, making Billy cry out and struggle as panic finally took him. 

“Now, now.” Sivana chided. “We had a deal, Billy. No powers, remember? Come with us, and nothing happens to poor little Freddy.” 

Sivana pulled away, but Billy was still panting for breath. He tried to back away, but Sivana stayed in place behind him, gripping his upper arms so tight he knew there would be bruises.

“How?” He gasped, unable to look away from Envy’s glare. His red eyes glowed menacingly, and his teeth were bared. Billy could almost feel the rage radiating off of him. Something warm and hard dug in between his shoulder blades, seeming to burn through his clothes every time it touched him. Then he realized, “The necklace. You have them in the necklace. How?” 

“Patience, Chosen One.”

Patience?!

Envy leaned in close to Billy, snarling. He tried to pull away again, wincing at the whimper that escaped him when he couldn’t. 

“So you do remember him? He was worried you forgot. How you tricked us both, goading him on until he left me to fall? Tricking him into failing his brothers, entrapping them?” Envy snarled again, drool dripping off his pointed teeth. Billy’s eyes burned with the sin’s breath, at least Billy hoped that’s why tears were gathering there. His limbs were burning. Either with the urge to run, or the loss of steady circulation, he didn’t know. His heart was pounding hard in his chest.

He had to get out of there. He knew who was behind it now. He could find Freddy on his own.

Sivana finally let him go. Billy stumbled, almost falling completely before righting himself. Two sets of eyes followed him, and he hesitated. He couldn’t outrun them both. He was still just a kid. 

The older man gave him a once-over before grinning. “It’s frightening, isn’t it? To face the world with no powers? To be so weak, helpless?”

“I’m not helpless.”

“Not yet. Remember, the minute you call upon your powers, Freddy suffers the consequences. Something to keep in mind.”

Something about the man’s tone of voice made Billy frown. “For what?” 

“For this.”

Billy heard a growl before a massive forced bowled him over. His cry of shock turned to one of pain when so much weight landed on top of him. He felt something inside snap, making unshed tears spill over. Before he could take in the air to shout, a fist caught him in the cheek, bouncing his head against the hard floor. Gray spots gathered in his vision as he clumsily tried to push off Envy. 

Sharp teeth then clamped down on his arm, pulling a harsh cry from him. Suddenly he was thrown, unable to stop. He didn’t see what he hit, but it was hard and glass shattered all around him. He rolled painfully down to the floor, shards of broken bottles raining down around him, the smell of whatever was in them burning his nose and the cuts all over his body. He managed to catch a glimpse of his leg, blood saturating the leg of his jeans. Heavy footsteps approached, making Billy seize in fear, but he couldn’t move. He could barely think. All he could do was stay above the murky water in his head just a moment longer. Before the gray swallowed his vision, he caught Sivana’s reflection in the large shard of glass protruding from his upper thigh. 

Then everything went black.


	3. "I Can't Lose You, Billy!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy wakes up in the possession of Sivana and Mr. Mind. Already they're aware of the power they have over him. Now Billy begins to realize that there may not be anything he isn't willing to do...with Freddy on the line.

His head was pounding. The pain pulsed directly behind his eyes, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He heard voices above him, one was warped and far away in his ears. The other seemed to be ingrained in his head. 

“When I asked you to bring him, Doctor, I was hoping in a more useful condition.” There was a pause before the unsettling voice hummed. “However, considering he’s not entirely dead, I believe I will excuse this petty retribution.” 

“Yes, sir.” Sivana replied, and the sound chilled Billy. Who was this other person? Why was Sivana afraid of him?

“Ah,” the voice in his head said, an audible smirk in his voice. “Mr. Batson, so kind of you to join us.”

Something slimy and foreign brushed his mind, and suddenly he was fully awake, eyes open. With his being awake came everything that lingered on the outside of his consciousness. The pain, the congealed blood staining his jeans stiff, the frigid damp of the room they were in.

“Where am I?” He croaked, his throat sore. He was lying on a cold, metal table in what looked like some sort of warehouse, except there were no windows and the huge, concrete pillars seem to rise forever. Billy felt the urge to shiver as the damp seeped into his bones. The only sound Billy could hear was the dripping of water somewhere off to the side. The foreign presence in his head slid through his skull, prodding painfully here and there. He winced as it passed over a particularly tender spot. 

“Hmm, some bruising, but otherwise in one piece.” 

With a start, Billy looked around for the other voice, but only saw Sivana standing over him. He wanted to get up and get as far away from him as possible, but he couldn’t move. All of his muscles were locked into place. He attempted to move his arm, legs, or even his fingers, but nothing would respond.

“What did you do to me?!” He spat, glaring at Sivana. “Why can’t I move?” 

Sivana smirked, eyes shifting to a spot just below Billy’s left hand. “He won’t release you from his hold until we’re sure you won’t do anything stupid, such as get Freddy killed.”  
Dread formed like a stone in Billy’s stomach. He was suddenly a little grateful they had him lying pinned. The shudder building in his limbs would have been visible if he wasn’t. 

Anger, luckily, came to the forefront, making his jaw clench. “Where is he?” 

The pressure in his head swelled. Billy would have winced from the pain if he could. “Mr. Freeman is mostly unharmed and waiting to see you.”

“Mostly?” Billy spat, straining against the resistance in his body. 

“Yes, Mr. Batson. I understand your true form is that of a child, but you think the wisdom of Solomon would have afforded you a greater intelligence.” Despite Billy’s paralysis, he felt something crawl up his left hand. Whatever it was creeped over his skin like the force in his mind, unsettling and unwelcome. Goosebumps broke out over Billy’s arm as he tried to follow the urge to fling it off of him. 

“You see, I came to your planet as the last of my kind, seeking refuge among the race of our sister planet. What I encountered, however, was an infestation of weak-minded, primitive animals who cannot see beyond their own pitiful, meaningless existence. Humans are so easy to control, to manipulate, but my power only extends so far. That is where I need you. Together, Mr. Batson, you and I will poison this planet’s parasitic population with fear and hate. With the Seven Deadly Sins under our control, we will show the humans what animals they truly are. Reveal what lies beneath their mask of evolution, and then, when they turn on each other, ready to destroy themselves and everything around them, we will take our place and rule this miserable planet.”

“You expect my help?!” Billy gasped, the urge to shy away from the crawling sensation on the inside of his elbow coursing through him. “If you think—”

“Think, Mr. Batson?” The voice chuckled as what definitely feels like some kind of bug, climb over his shoulder. “No, Mr. Batson, I don’t think. I know. As you may have noticed, as we speak, you feel a presence in your mind, and I can see from your thoughts that you are very aware that that presence is me. Use the wisdom of Solomon, child, what does that mean?” 

The pressure in his head spiked, causing Billy to cry out, his arms and legs still not responding to his demands to move. The worm-like crawling was making his way down his chest, forcing a whimper from Billy. Why haven’t they took this thing off of him yet?! 

Then flashes passed his vision. At first, they were bursts of color and bits of sound, but then, he heard Freddy’s voice and Darla’s laughing. He saw Mary’s face, smiling sadly as she made Billy promise to watch out for her family, for their family. 

“You see my thoughts.” He bit out through his clenched jaw. “My memories.”

“And your desires. Your family, Mr. Batson, will not be safe. Mr. Freeman will not be safe, as long as you wish to resist. You desire to keep them safe.” A brief glimpse of Freddy, rolling on the ground beside the Breyers’ truck came to the forefront of his thoughts. “Do as I say, and they will remain unharmed.”

“You said Freddy was mostly unharmed?” The pressure spiked again, a groan escaping Billy. 

“He has been a nuisance since we apprehended him. If he insists on acting like a child, he shall be punished as one. Despite the agony I project through his nervous system, however, he remains defiant. I trust being imprisoned with you will make him reconsider his actions.”

“What have you done to him?!” He cried, his muscles painfully tensed with the desire to leap up and destroy whoever was on the other end of that voice. “Where is he?! Sha—ahhhh!” He screamed, loud and long, as what felt like molten metal ran through his veins. He could feel it moving, twisting around his organs, looping through his nerve endings, over and over, until his vision went white with pain. 

As suddenly as it came, it vanished, leaving him panting. 

“Change form, and Frederick Freeman dies. As you can now imagine, his death will be slow and painful.” 

Ice formed where the burning once was, making Billy want to shiver. Oh God, Freddy has been experiencing that for days! Where was he during this?! Moping in bed like a child? Getting into a petty fight at school? Guilt settled in his throat like acid. 

“You may now move, Mr. Batson. Slowly, or there will be consequences.” 

He almost wished whatever this thing was hadn’t released him. As soon as his limbs twitched and came back to life, what used to be blunt soreness shifted into a sharp burning in his muscles. Despite the urge to just pass out and escape the pain, he fought his way up to lean on his elbows, letting his head partially hang over the edge of the table as a wave of nausea passed through him. Whatever was crawling over him made its way to sit on his thigh. The small weight dominated his perception like it was a hot branding iron.  
Sivana grabbed him by the hood of his shirt, lifting him until he sat upright. He winced as the movement aggravated the partially healed cut on his leg. 

Billy almost overlooked the thing perched on his leg. Its movement caught his eye, and he couldn’t look away. He had to force himself not to react, so he wouldn’t swipe at it. It was a caterpillar. A very large caterpillar. He couldn’t tell if the large yellow bulbs on his head were goggles or eyes, but on his midsection was a little red light and what looked like a speaker. His arms were tiny nubs, joined together over his body. Billy couldn’t gauge the expression on its face, but the pressure in his head gave off smug pride.

The voice in his head laughed. The same voice came from the caterpillar through the speaker. The echoing, metallic sound ran over Billy’s body, raising hairs and goosebumps along the way. Billy fought to remain still. He really wanted to fight them off, run like hell, but he couldn’t risk hurting Freddy. Not when he was so close to seeing him again.

“That’s right, Mr. Batson. Easy does it.” He said. “We will take you to Mr. Freeman in just a moment, but first, we discuss our terms.”

“Terms?” Billy echoed, a perplexed frown pulling at his expression.

The caterpillar inflated with an exaggerated sigh. “Yes, Mr. Batson, terms. As in, requests we will make in exchange for your request.”

“I know what terms means!” Billy spat, vaguely wishing he had a heavy fly swatter. 

“Hmm,” the voice in his mind hummed, “spirited, aren’t you? Hopefully soon we will be rid of that.” Remembering the pain this thing was capable of inflicting on him, Billy bit his tongue, but couldn’t hold back his hard glare. “In exchange for shared quarters with Mr. Freeman, I ask that you simply allow me further into your mind. You are an especially stubborn young man, much like your friend. It took a great deal of pain for Mr. Freeman to surrender to my power. His pain, of course.”

Billy clenched his fists, biting his tongue so hard that he tasted the fresh copper of blood. It probably seemed like a simple request. He was a teenage boy. It’s not like he had the codes to the Pentagon, or whatever black helicopter crap Eugene toys with, so why was he hesitating? Why were his thoughts screaming in protest to this?

A shared room with Freddy. That was all he had to do to be within reach of Freddy while they were here. He could help him, protect him, treat any of his injuries, or at least do the best he could…

They obviously already knew where his family was, and who they were. Billy doubted there was anything in his mind that they didn’t already have or know. 

“I do this, and I get to stay with Freddy.”

The caterpillar sighed again. “That is the agreement, young human.”

Billy glanced at Sivana. His one-eyed gaze was hard and cold. The amulet pulsed where it hung on his chest. The swirling facades of the sins repulsed him and he fought the urge to rip it off of him and throw it across the large room. Seriously, what was this place? A warehouse? A very large basement? 

Another smug vibe coursed through him, pulling his eyes back to the caterpillar. 

“Fine.” He said, though his hands shook. What if it was painful? What if that was what he felt before? 

“Excellent choice, Mr. Batson.” The voice in his head purred. “Lie back, deep breaths, and it will be over before you know it.”

Alarm bells screeched in his head and his heart raced as he forced himself back on the table. Sivana moved to the head of the table. Billy fought the urge to squirm away from the man’s hands resting on his shoulders. 

His ribs ached as he inhaled deeply, exhaling in a rush. A slight pressure crept over his brain, pressing over tender areas, causing him to wince. Sivana’s grip then became a vice, fingers digging into his collarbones. Billy cried out in shock. 

Suddenly the pressure in his head exploded outward, stealing his breath. It felt as if something snapped inside of him, filling him until he thought he would burst. It felt like drowning all over again. He couldn’t breathe. His chest ached and burned with the need for air, but he couldn’t remember how to breathe. An impossible force built in his skull. His eyes felt like they were trying to pop out of his head and his ears roared with his pulse. He felt himself struggling under Sivana’s death grip. He also felt something like claws pinning his legs. 

Something then gave and he could breathe. Then he began to scream.

* * *

Freddy winced as he bit his nail too deep in to the quick. He usually would grimace at the taste of blood, but after the shitty week he had locked in this oversized casket, he hated to admit he was used to it. After the initial shock and life-threatening peril had worn off, he quickly realized that boredom was an unexpected and unwanted element of being held hostage. 

He hoped it would stay that way.

He was losing track of time, but it was maybe a day or two since they called Billy making their demands. He tried to warn Billy off, but knowing that self-sacrificing, over-protective idiot, it only made him that more determined to save the day. He still had a headache from Mind’s punishment. He said too much, almost ruining the call for Mind and Sivana. 

That damn caterpillar’s mind-rape lasted hours, then Gluttony decided to sit outside the door, almost forcing Freddy to eat his own shirt in a fit of desperate hunger. He hated to think if he had sharper teeth, half the collar would have been down his throat before he stopped himself. 

The Sins and Mind have been gone for a while, leaving Freddy’s head blissfully empty for the moment. That worried Freddy more than anything. He tried to rest, sleep, anything, but why they left had him shaking in fear and rage.

Billy found them. That stupid, _stupid_ beanie-hatted, grumpy-cat-looking-jerkface found them and handed them his ass on a silver platter. 

It was both with dread and relief that the steel door opened with a loud groan, unnaturally loud in the solid concrete cell. Freddy struggled to his feet, wincing at his stiff leg. He didn’t have his cane, and he had no idea if they had it or not. Hell, they could have destroyed it while he was bleeding all over the alley. 

Sivana walked in, a slight form hanging over his shoulder. Freddy clenched his fists, fighting back loud curses and screams of anger when he saw the form’s red hoodie. Without saying anything, Sivana threw Billy’s limp body on the small, stained mattress wedged into a cold corner of the cell. 

Sivana glanced at him, giving him a smug grin, his one eye glittering with mirth. Freddy would have rushed him if the amulet hanging around his neck didn’t reflect the light, the seven Sins swirling in its depths. 

“Mr. Mind would like to see you both when he wakes. Now that Billy is here, we can begin our work.” 

“What do you want?!” Freddy spat, using the wall to help him forward. “You got him! Your plan worked! Congratulations, now what do you want with us?”

The old man huffed in amusement, opening the door. “All in good time, Mr. Freeman. Mr. Mind hopes you both get some rest. You will need it.” 

Freddy’s knuckles grew white in his grip. He body jerked in response to the thunderous clang of the cell’s door. As soon as he heard its locks click into place, he limped over to Billy, panting through the burning pain climbing up his bad leg. He threw himself to his knees, reaching out to Billy.

“Batson?” Freddy said quietly. He gently shook the other’s shoulder, but Billy didn’t respond. Freddy carefully turned Billy over on his back and the sight made Freddy’s breath constrict in his throat. 

Billy’s skin was ashen, mottled with large purple and black bruises. Specks of dried blood ran up the length of his hairline and down his neck. The dried blood flaking on his skin mingled with the fresh blood dripping from Billy’s face. 

Tears gathered in Freddy’s eyes when he recognized the thin rivulets of blood running from his nose, eyes, and ears. Mind got to him. He convinced Billy, in some way, to make his mind vulnerable to him. 

He could recall the blood he had to clean up from that, as well as the pressing, suffocating force of Mind’s power, making his skull feel as if it would crack. The migraine he had after waking up had him believing it did. 

“Billy Batson, you fucking idiot!” He sobbed, brushing a crusted strand of hair out of Billy’s face. He lost his beanie and his signature hoodie was horribly blood-stained. The sight was something straight out of a nightmare. It was almost like defacing a museum piece with spray paint. Something so iconic, so sacred to him, defaced by something so vulgar, so common. 

He gathered Billy in his arms, arranging them until he was leaning against the wall, the other cradled to his chest. He used his jacket sleeve to clean what blood he could reach, but soon he couldn’t focus past the tears flooding his vision and the shaking in his hands. Between each shaking breath, he both assured Billy it was going to be okay while also cursing the moron within an inch of his life. 

Why couldn’t he just stay away?! Why did he have to be a hero all the _goddamn_ time?!

“I wish I could promise I won’t let anything else happen to you, but I know you, and I hate you so much for this, but you won’t let me.” He bit his lips so hard, he could taste blood again. “I can’t fight you, Billy. I can’t fight them. Billy, I’m so sorry! I want to change form so bad, especially now! Please, Batson, for once, _for once_ , let me protect you! Please.” 

Freddy sobbed, clutching Billy tighter to him. Billy groaned under his breath, shocking Freddy into loosening his hold. 

“I can’t lose you, Billy.” Freddy admitted in the quiet of the poorly lit cell. “Don’t make me lose you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! Comments and kudos are welcome! I loved this movie and Mister Mind sent this idea soaring. I will try my best to keep up with the Shazam universe, but I may run off course from time to time for the story. The future chapters will be much darker and Billy will be hurting, so heads up! 
> 
> P.S.- I have kids, so please be patient with the new chapters! I promise to keep this story going for y'all. <3


End file.
